


Little Big Talks

by JolyneJiyuu



Series: Our Legend [1]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Angst, Not Beta Read, We Die Like Men, because teenagers and their feelings, mainly fluff, with a tiny sprinkle of angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-18
Updated: 2019-11-18
Packaged: 2021-02-12 15:14:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,033
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21478453
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JolyneJiyuu/pseuds/JolyneJiyuu
Summary: “Just for once… I wanted your eyes to be on me…”
Relationships: Hop/Yuuri | Gloria
Series: Our Legend [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1548166
Comments: 16
Kudos: 405





	Little Big Talks

**Author's Note:**

> I used the Japanese name for Gloria - Yuuri - because I headcanon she moved to Galar from Kanto with her mother as a small child :)

“Ace use Pyro Ball!”

“Give them a Max Overgrowth, Boom!”

Flora filled the stadium up to the brink, flowers of all kinds blooming to their fullest. And the match seemed over…

But! Out of green, a flaming ball shot over the field hitting Rillaboom directly into its Dynamax face. The ape staggered, before losing its balance. The Dynamax wore off. Rillaboom fainted and returned to its pokeball.

The crowd went wild. Cheers and screams rang throughout Wyndon’s stadium. The people had their finalist. Their name:

Yuuri.

The girl couldn’t believe it. She had won the semi-finals! Was this a dream?

Ecstatic she turned to her beaten up cinderace, stumbling out of the last remains of overgrowth. Without hesitation, Yuuri ran up to it and took it up into her arms. They won. They had really won!

But when she turned to face her rival, her face fell. Of course. The price of winning herself meant that Hop had lost. He looked so upset, so disappointed in himself… It broke Yuuri’s heart. The realization made her victory taste bittersweet.

What took her by surprise however was how fast Hop picked himself off the ground, the faintest smile gracing his lips.

“Yuuri… Thanks, mate. I’m really glad you were the one here with me.”

As the commentator officially announced Challenger Yuuri as the winner of the match, the two rivals came to face each other and shook their hands. Hop took a shaky breath. His face twisting slightly, as if he was debating with himself. Eyes everywhere but on Yuuri.

“You know, even when Sonia was saying that you and me looked like we could become heroes, I never really felt like one…” the bright smile he flashed quickly hid away the self-pity behind his words.

“But you! Mate, I think maybe you really could do all sorts of great things!”

Yuuri didn’t know what came over her - maybe it was the adrenalin still running through her veins, maybe it was the pained look in Hop’s eyes, he tried so desperately to hide - but before she could think twice she pulled her friend into her arms. He went rigid not expecting the move. Eyes wide. Hands sweaty.

“Thank you, Hop… for everything. I could never have made it here without you.” Yuuri gave him a tight squeeze. Only then he seemed to relax, returning the hug with the same ferocity.

"Yuuri, Hop! You two were quite a sight out there" Leon smirked, the smugness oozing off of him. Said trainers cheeks took on a rosy tint.

“What ever might you be talking about, Lee?” Hop asked, voice slightly wavering. Yuuri just nodded in agreement, not managing to find her voice. She herself couldn’t believe how she could do something so-- so embarrassing...

“Your battle, of course, dear brother.” Leon didn’t even sound remotely sorry. However, his teasing abruptly stopped, remembering the fight. His entire demeanor changed in a second. 

“It was incredible! Brilliant!” awe clear in his face now.

“Honestly.. there were even tears rolling down my cheeks before I knew it.” Now the rival’s faces were red for another reason. How could the champion say such embarrassing things with a straight face?!

To Yuuri, everything still felt unreal, still as if everything was a dream. Even as they continued to talk (well Leon and Hop did practically all the talking), Yuuri’s thoughts went toward the won battle against Hop. This was what she wanted right? To be the final challenger. To take a shot at defeating the undefeated champion.

_ But at what cost? _ a little voice reminded her. _ Is this really what you wanted? _

For a second her mind drifted toward the hug. A familiar warmth spread over her cheeks. But before anything could come of the thought, Hop waved his hand in front of her face.

“Earth to Yuuri. You with us?” All the girl could give was an unintelligent ‘_ Huh? _’

“Lee invited us to dinner.”

“Oh,” she answered timidly.

“And I usually wouldn’t say no, but… You never care how the food tastes like, Lee!” Hop accused.

“A night like this deserves more than rubbish takeaway, so at least pick something good!”

In the end, they agreed to go to the restaurant of the Rose of the Rondelands hotel. Well, this really was a promise of something fancy. A five-star hotel and a five-star restaurant. A few months ago Yuuri would have never even dreamed of eating at a place like this. Unfortunately, Leon said that he still had some business to take care of and that the two of them should go ahead. So they did exactly that. The walk was a little awkward at first, but in no time Hop and Yuuri were chattering like nothing ever happened.

“Ok, so I finally had that guy countered when--”

“Challenger Yuuri! Hey, Challenger Yuuri!” not even five feet into the hotel the two trainers were suddenly swarmed by a bunch of reporters, all watching them like vultures. They wanted an interview with the newest finalist of the Gym Challenge.

Yuuri froze. She wasn’t used to this kind of attention, preferring to hang back and let others do the talking for her. What was she supposed to do??

“First question!” a blond reporter yelled. Yuuri let out a quiet whimper.

“You and Challenger Hop were both endorsed by the Champion, making the two of you rivals in a sense, wouldn’t you say?”

“W-well yeah…” Cufant dung. Already with the stutter.

“How does it feel to have defeated your rival?” the reporter continued, shoving the mic back into Yuuri’s face. Nervously, Yuuri glanced at Hop than back at the woman holding the microphone.

“I-- I, it-- it doesn’t feel quite real yet” she somehow managed to press out over her racing heartbeat.

“Question number two!” Another person interjected before the lady in blond could ask further.

“If you wanted to tell Challenger Hop something right now, what would it be?” What was it with these personal questions?!

“I-- uhm I guess, I guess I’d tell him--” _ think Yuuri, think! _

“I’d tell him how strong he was!” _ HAMBURGERS NOT THAT!! _ Yuuri mentally screamed. _ I just want to go home _… she wailed. But already other people were lining up to ask questions. mics and cameras everywhere. Yuuri could feel the anxiety rising in her. She wanted to cry, she wanted to run away, but it was no use. She was frozen in place, mind going slowly blank. All she could do was reach for Hop. He was her lifeline. He had always been. And when the boy felt the slightest tug on his sleeve, he sprang into action. 

“All right-- that’s enough! Yuuri’s already tired from battle! _ And _you’ve been asking rather rude questions!” 

No hesitation. He carefully tugged the shy girl behind him, protecting her from the people’s view.

“We’ve got ourselves dinner plans with my brother, so, sorry, but clear off already, would you?” a murmur goes through the crowd. One reporter yells that they still have questions, more they need to know about! Hop, however, was having none of it. In one fell swoop, he took Yuuri by the hand and ran further into the hotel, the reporters hot on their heels.

“What is with these people?!”

A reasonable question, after having been chased around a luxus hotel by rabid reporters. To their luck, Hop and Yuuri ran into a nice bell boy named Marcus, only two or three years older than themselves. He noticed their plight and let them hide in one of the hotel’s rooms until the situation has calmed down.

“I don’t know Hop, and I honestly don’t want to know…” said boy let out a puff of air, laying down on the side of the queen-sized bed.

“Phew… Famous people sure have it rough, eh?” Yuuri could only nod in agreement. Even if it felt a little weird to be called “famous”. But that is her life, for now, she guessed. Plopping herself down on the bed next to her friend and rival.

“Hey, mate? Say, did you mean what you said earlier?”

“Mmh?” Yuuri hummed.

“About me being strong and stuff…” Hop looked hopefully at her.

“Of course!” sitting back up.

“Would you ever doubt me on something like that?” Yuuri felt a little sting in her heart. Did Hop still doubt his abilities as pokemon trainer? Or was there something else hiding beyond the sudden question?

“ No, of course not! It’s just that--” a pained expression fleeing over his face.

“Now, listen here young man.” his rival interrupted.

“_ You _ are an awesome trainer. It was nothing more than sheer luck that Cinderace didn’t go K.O. on that last attack of yours. If he hadn’t willed himself to stay conscious I would have lost the match, ok? And like I said afterward, I wouldn’t even be here. Without you… I would still sit at home and dream about becoming a trainer but never do something about it!” Oh Arceus, was she really saying these things? Was she really opening up her heart to someone?

“There is so much I admire about you, Hop. Your strength, your ambition, your unwillingness to ever give up no matter how much the world seems to say ‘No’. But--!” Well, here goes nothing…

“But you only ever had eyes for Leon…”

“Of course, he is the greatest! The Unbeatable Champion!” Hop interjected, sitting up himself, pumping his fist up in the air.

“See! That’s exactly what I mean. Leon is your hero, your ‘shining star’. You are his biggest fan. And you always had that grand ambition of becoming the next Champion yourself. Always rushing on ahead. Never looking back even when in doubt. Never looking back at the person cheering _ you _ on. _ Your _biggest fan… Me.

“Just for once… I wanted your eyes to be on me…” Hop was speechless at the confession. _ Oh no, now I’ve gone and ruined everything _, Yuuri thought. She kept going:

“So I became your rival, chasing after your shadow, while you were rushing on ahead of me” _ Stop talking, you stupid Miltank _.

“And look at me… With my selfish desire I ruined your dream, your chance at facing Leon in the finale--”

“Wait, wait, wait! What are you talking about?! You should be happy!” Now this, Yuuri had not anticipated. Anger, ok, yes. But not like that. All that left her mouth was a surprised ‘_ Huh? _’

“If anything you helped me to come this far! You are right that I never noticed, but without you pushing me further when I was weak, cheering me on when I was down, I would probably have given up after the defeat against Bede!”

“And what is that talk of crushing my dream? If anything it is stronger than ever! More than ever I want to beat Lee and especially, beat you!”

“I want to reach further heights beyond all boundaries!! And--! And it may not have started out that way, but I wanted you to look at me too!” 

“What?” 

Both their heads went bright red. Both eagerly covering up their faces. Could they really both have been so blind? And they laugh. Laugh at their own shared stupidity. They have really been so blind to see what is right in front of them.

“I guess, we’re both idiots, eh?”

“Seems that way, mate.”

The rivals collapse onto the bed after they’re done laughing. 

“I’m glad we had this talk, Hop” Yuuri smiled, her hand reaching toward her best friend. 

“Yeah, me too…” taking her hand into his own, their fingers intertwined. Nothing could take this warm moment away from them.

xxx

A knock at the startles them from the bed. It was Marcus the bell boy, who had come to let them know that their little issue of reporters has been taken care of.

“I told the security to remove any and all of them.” Yuuri - still drunk on the fluttering feelings in her stomach - hugged the bell boy tight.

“Thank you so much, Marcus!” not noticing that behind her Hop mouthed a silent ‘_ Hands off _ ’ nor did she see the ‘ _ I’m watching you _’ hand movement when they were leaving the room to meet up with Leon.

**Author's Note:**

> Oof, first fanfiction in over a year... It's probably pretty rough but I hope you liked it anyway :D  
Kudos & Comments are appreciated :D


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